Deja Vu

Well... it's been quite a while since I've posted. But I have to share an experience. Do you remember last year at this time when I posted about being asked by the stake president to speak in the evening session of our stake conference?

Well, this weekend was our stake conference again and when we sat down I reminded my sweetheart that it was one year since that experience and we smiled at each other. Then the meeting began. Our focus was on the Proclamation to the World on the Family. The stake presidency had asked each of us to study this inspired document during the week in preparation for our meetings, and we had done that. The messages were powerful and I took notes as the Spirit also spoke to me. We sang a hymn and then heard that the stake president had requested to hear from some members of the stake. I knew how everyone must be feeling. The counselor presiding then invited everyone to begin squirming. I turned to Roger and remarked that I was delighted to feel totally comfortable and unconcerned. The counselor asked another sister to bear her testimony, followed by... Can you believe it?! I heard him say, "Sister Ketcheson." I stared at Roger and asked him if I really heard my name. He smiled back at me, then put his arm around me, and hugged me. I couldn't believe it. I think I was in greater shock than last year!

Thankfully, I was in a much better mood than last year and I was able to listen and feel the whisperings of the Spirit. As I listened to the first sister, I felt the power of her testimony. I felt like she was bearing the testimony that I also have of the restored gospel and its truthfulness and completeness. She concluded and as I walked up I smiled at the stake presidency. My first words were to relate what I had said to Roger and that I'd had this experience a year earlier. I turned and smiled again at the stake presidency and they smiled back.

Then I began. I bore my testimony and then I spoke about families. I spoke of my amazing, wonderful parents and how they had taught me that the gospel is true by their examples and teachings. I shared how my testimony was first based on theirs, and how they taught me to develop my own testimony independent of theirs. I spoke of the blessing of being married in the temple to a worthy priesthood holder whom I want to spend eternity with. Then I talked about our posterity and about the blessing of being in our kids' homes and participating as they hold family scripture study and prayer and as they teach their children how to nurture their own testimonies.

I talked about the necessity of agency and personal righteousness and of having faith that things will work out. I acknowledged that life has many ups and downs and testified that as long as we rely on the one sure foundation - our Savior, Jesus Christ - we can know that things will work out for our good. We never have to doubt because we know who is in charge and we know that He loves us. I don't know what else I said, but I felt the Spirit speaking words of truth through me and I was actually grateful for the experience.

When the stake president spoke at the end of the meeting, he began with, "Sister Ketcheson, I spoke last year also." Everyone laughed, most of all me. He's such a good man. This morning as we walked into the session of conference he greeted us and asked if I was speaking to him. :) And when he invited some stake members to share their testimonies in today's meeting he began with, "I thought about calling on Sis. Ketcheson..."

Life in the gospel is great, isn't it?!

I think my days of speaking in our stake conference meetings have come to an end.